GREENSVILLE COUNTY, Va. — It’s been exceptionally busy at the Emporia Center of Virginia Career Works.
Dozens of the 600 workers at the shuttered Boar’s Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia, have arrived to figure out what comes next.
Boar’s Head announced last Friday the Jarratt plant would close indefinitely after repeated safety concerns eventually led to a nationwide listeria outbreak linked to the plant. Nine people died and more than 50 were hospitalized, according to health officials.
The plant was one of the largest employers in the area.
Tabitha Taylor — the director of the Crater region — said it was the largest layoff she can remember in the Crater region since Rolls Royce closed its Prince George County jet engine parts production hub and more than 100 workers lost their jobs.
What neighbors are saying about Boar’s Head plant closure in Jarratt, Virginia: ‘Hard struggle’
“It’s devastating,” Taylor said of the Boar’s Head layoffs. “Certainly complicating everyday life and changing their norm.”